Become part of the movement for unbiased, accessible election information. Donate today.
Mike Bickler
Mike Bickler is the former at-large representative on the Oconomowoc Area School District school board in Wisconsin. First elected in 2005, Bickler lost a re-election campaign in the at-large general election on April 4, 2017.
Biography
Bickler earned his real estate license in 1982 from Waukesha County Technical College. His career experience includes working at The Stonewood Companies and as a real estate firm's president. Bickler has also served as a trustee, plan commission member, and member of the architectural board for the Village of Oconomowoc Lake.[1]
Governing majority
2017
| Oconomowoc Area School Board, 2017 |
|---|
| Donald Wiemer |
| Sandy Schick |
| Kim Verhein Herro |
| Dan Raasch |
| John Suttner |
| Steve Zimmer |
| Jessica Karnowski |
From May 2017 to January 2018, the Oconomowoc school board voted unanimously to approve 92.06 percent of the 63 motions brought forward by board members. The board approved all of the 86 motions brought forward during this time, excluding procedural, roll call, and adjournment votes. There was no discernible governing majority in 2017 due to the absence of a voting pattern for specific members.
Dissenting votes
Five of the board's 63 votes were not unanimous. Three of those votes related to a motion to approve a schematic design and development work for the Meadow View Elementary School, Oconomowoc High School East Campus, and Oconomowoc High School Main Campus. Herro voted "no" on all three votes and Raasch voted "no" on one.
One non-unanimous vote was about base wage negotiations with the Oconomowoc Education Association. Another vote dealt with a bid for interior demolition and asbestos abatement at the Oconomowoc High School East Campus. Raasch voted "no" on both votes.
Absences
John Suttner was absent from six of the board's 11 meetings in 2017. Dan Raasch was absent from two meetings, and Jessica Karnowski and Steve Zimmer missed one meeting.
Issues
Votes on board procedures accounted for 20 motions or 31.75 percent of all motions brought before the board in 2017. District procedures accounted for 17 or 26.98 percent of votes, fiscal matters accounted for 14 or 22.22 percent of all motions in 2017. The board voted on 7 motions related to personnel matters in 2017. The remaining 5 motions dealt with curriculum matters and teacher salary decisions.
2016
| Oconomowoc Area School Board, 2016 |
|---|
| Donald Wiemer |
| Sandy Schick |
| Mike Bickler |
| Kim Verhein Herro |
| John Suttner |
| Steve Zimmer |
| Jessica Karnowski |
From January 2016 to December 2016, the Oconomowoc school board voted unanimously to approve 100 percent of the 93 motions brought forward by board members. These totals exclude motions to approve board minutes or procedural votes. There was no discernible governing majority in 2016 due to the absence of a voting pattern for specific members.
Board changes
Kim Verhein Herro defeated Dave Guckenberger in the board's election on April 5, 2016.
Dissenting votes
There were no dissenting votes by board members in 2016.
Absences
John Suttner was absent from six of the board's 13 meetings in 2016. Steve Zimmer was absent from four meetings, Sandy Schick missed two meetings, and Mike Bickler was absent from one meeting.
Issues
Votes on district procedures accounted for 37 motions or 39.8 percent of all motions brought before the board in 2016. These votes included approval of new or revised policies and vendor agreements. Twenty-three votes on fiscal matters accounted for 24.7 percent of all motions in 2016. The board voted on 17 motions related to personnel matters in 2016. The remaining 16 motions dealt with board procedures, curriculum matters, and teacher salary decisions.
2015
| Oconomowoc Area School Board, 2015 |
|---|
| Donald Wiemer |
| Sandy Schick |
| Mike Bickler |
| Dave Guckenberger |
| John Suttner |
| Steve Zimmer |
| Jessica Karnowski |
From January 2015 to December 2015, the Oconomowoc school board voted unanimously on 93.5 percent of the 77 motions brought forward by board members. The board approved 100 percent of the motions recorded during regular meetings in 2015. These totals exclude motions to approve board minutes or procedural votes. Because of the high rate of unanimous votes, a governing majority could not be determined.
Dissenting votes
Dave Guckenberger opposed all five measures that were not unanimously approved in 2015. His opposing votes came on measures dealing with a keyless entry system for the high school stadium, participation in a regional school alliance, and a mobile technology plan for district schools. Sandy Schick and Jessica Karnowski voted with Guckenberger to oppose a measure approving changes to the 2016-2017 school calendar in November 2015. These were the only dissenting votes from board members other than Guckenberger in 2015.
Absences
Steve Zimmer was absent from four of the 12 regular meetings held in 2015. John Suttner and Jessica Karnowski each missed one meeting during the year.
Issues
Votes on curriculum issues accounted for 23 motions or 29.8 percent of all motions brought to the board in 2015. District procedures accounted for 20 motions or 25.9 percent of total motions, while personnel decisions represented 20.7 percent with 16 motions. The remaining motions included 13 fiscal issues, three board procedural votes and a scattering of discplinary and teacher contract questions.
Elections
2017
Two of seven seats on the Oconomowoc Area School District school board were up for at-large general election on April 4, 2017. A primary election was held on February 21, 2017. The top four vote recipients in the primary election advanced to the general election. Incumbents Mike Bickler and Sandy Schick faced challengers Glenn Cochrane and Dan Raasch in the general election after defeating candidates Samuel Levin and James Wood in the primary. Schick and Raasch won the two seats up for election.[2][3]
Results
| Oconomowoc Area School District, At-Large General Election, 3-year terms, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Dan Raasch |
35.17% | 1,931 |
| Sandy Schick Incumbent |
22.40% | 1,230 |
| Glenn Cochrane | 22.30% | 1,224 |
| Mike Bickler Incumbent | 20.13% | 1,105 |
| Total Votes | 5,490 | |
| Source: Waukesha County Clerk, "2017 Spring Election Unofficial Results," accessed April 4, 2017 These election results are unofficial and will be updated after official vote totals are made available. | ||
| Oconomowoc Area School District, At-Large Primary Election, 3-year terms, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Dan Raasch |
28.40% | 987 |
| Sandy Schick Incumbent |
21.12% | 734 |
| Mike Bickler Incumbent |
17.81% | 619 |
| Glenn Cochrane |
15.77% | 548 |
| James Wood | 11.57% | 402 |
| Samuel Levin | 5.32% | 185 |
| Total Votes | 3,475 | |
| Source: Waukesha County Clerk, "2017 Spring Primary," accessed February 21, 2017These election results are unofficial and will be updated after official vote totals are made available. | ||
2014
Mike Bickler and Sandy Schick won election without opposition on April 1, 2014.[4]
Campaign themes
2017
Ballotpedia survey responses
Mike Bickler participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates.[5] In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on January 26, 2017:
| “ | N/A[6][7] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Wisconsin. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| “ | Many of the items to be ranked are a priority (they are a tie in ranking in my opinion) however the system will not allow you to rank in such a way.[7] | ” |
| —Mike Bickler (January 26, 2017) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer eight questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.
| Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.) |
|---|
| No. we already have many choices in our area. |
| Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| The state should defer to school board decisions in most cases. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| Yes. Yes and no depending upon the circumstances and the subject matter. |
| How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district? |
| Offer additional training options. Offer additional training options. Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| Yes. Exceptional teachers need to be recognized. We have a new system at OASD where a peer/administrative review is performed on a regular basis. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| Yes. I would start in areas where achievement in schools is well below acceptable standards. Parents should be able to look to other schools for their children. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| in cases of high disregard for school rules where safety/learning environment is not respected. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers all of the above answers are very important however a great teacher has an ability to "get through" to all kids. |
See also
- Oconomowoc Area School District, Wisconsin
- Oconomowoc Area School District elections (2017)
- Hot tub Gatorade, turnout in Peoria and the Wisconsin state...
- Wisconsin school districts 2014 review
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Michael Bickler Sr.," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ Waukesha County Clerk, "2017 Spring Primary," accessed February 21, 2017
- ↑ Waukesha County Clerk, "2017 Spring Election," accessed April 4, 2017
- ↑ Jefferson County, Wisconsin, "Notice of Spring Election and Sample Ballots April 1, 2014," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2017, "Mike Bickler's responses," January 26, 2017
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| Oconomowoc Area School District elections in 2017 | |
| Waukesha County, Wisconsin | |
| Election date: | April 4, 2017 |
| Candidates: | At-large: Incumbent, Mike Bickler • Incumbent, Sandy Schick • Glenn Cochrane • Samuel Levin • Dan Raasch • James Wood |
| Important information: | What was at stake? |
